Code-red landslide alert raised for 6 flood-prone rivers

2012/08/01 16:18:38

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) The authorities issued code-red landslide warnings for six rivers around the country, all in the northeastern county of Yilan, as Typhoon Saola moved closer to the island, bringing heavy rain to northern and central regions.

Soil and water conservation authorities, which issued the warning, said that local authorities should advise or force the evacuation of residents in areas where the red alerts were issued and where rainfall has exceeded 550 mm.

Meanwhile, code-yellow warnings were issued for 233 rivers in the northern counties of Taoyuan, Yilan, Hsinchu and Taichung in central Taiwan, where rainfall was forecast to reach between 300 and 600 mm.

Several mountain roads in landslide-prone parts of northern, central and southern Taiwan will be closed, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center.

The center forecast that total rainfall in northeastern Taiwan and areas north of central Taiwan will likely exceed 1,000 mm, adding that Yilan, Taipei and Keelung in the north will be particularly susceptible to flooding.

As of 3:15 p.m., the typhoon was centered 170 km southeast of Taiwan, moving at a speed of 10 kph in a north-northwesterly direction.